Studies on advantages of heavy ions in radiotherapy compared with gamma-rays

Hepatoma and melanoma cells were exposed to C-12(6+) beams generated by HIRFL facility and gamma-rays and the cell response was studied by colony assays as well as the analysis of RBE of carbon ions was evolved. The survival curves of cells irradiated by heavy ions were different from those of cells irradiated by gamma-rays. And two kinds of cell showed the obvious discrepancy in response to the photon and ion irradiation. The results showed that heavy ions have special physical properties and mighty potency to kill cell in both single and fractional irradiation meanwhile it can kill tumor cells with high radioresistance more efficiently. When involved in clinical therapy, heavy ions will enhance the therapy efficiency and decrease the suffering of patients because it can impair the repair for sublethal damage of cells which can lead to fewer irradiation fractions.

X-ray emission of hollow atoms formed by highly charged argon and xenon ions below a beryllium surface

The X-ray emission induced by highly charged argon and xenon ions impinging on a beryllium surface is investigated. It is found that spectra of the X-ray induced by Ar-17,Ar-18+ interacting with the surface are very different from those of the X-ray induced by Ar-17,Ar-18+ interacting with residual gases. The result provides an experimental evidence for the existence of hollow atoms below the surface. Several unexpected X-ray lines are also found in the experiment. Firstly, K X-rays are observed when Ar16+ ions which initially have no K shell holes interact with the surface. Secondly, if there are more than 2 M shell vacancies at the initial time, strong M alpha alpha two-electron-one-photon (TEOP) transitions are found in the collisions of Xe-28+,Xe-29+,Xe-30+ ions with the surface.

Damage accumulation in gallium nitride irradiated with various energetic heavy ions

In this work a study of damage production in gallium nitride via elastic collision process (nuclear energy deposition) and inelastic collision process (electronic energy deposition) using various heavy ions is presented. Ordinary low-energy heavy ions (Fe+ and Mo+ ions of 110 keV), swift heavy ions (Pb-208(27+) ions of 1.1 MeV/u) and slow highly-charged heavy ions (Xen+ ions of 180 keV) were employed in the irradiation. Damage accumulation in the GaN crystal films as a function of ion fluence and temperature was studied with RBS-channeling technique, Raman scattering technique, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). For ordinary low-energy heavy ion irradiation, the temperature dependence of damage production is moderate up to about 413 K resulting in amorphization of the damaged layer. Enhanced dynamic annealing of defects dominates at higher temperatures. Correlation of amorphization with material decomposition and nitrogen bubble formation was found. In the irradiation of swift heavy ions, rapid damage accumulation and efficient erosion of the irradiated layer occur at a rather low value of electronic energy deposition (about 1.3 keV/nm(3)),. which also varies with irradiation temperature. In the irradiation of slow highly-charged heavy ions (SHCI), enhanced amorphization and surface erosion due to potential energy deposition of SHCI was found. It is indicated that damage production in GaN is remarkably more sensitive to electronic energy loss via excitation and ionization than to nuclear energy loss via elastic collisions.

Defect production in silicon carbide irradiated with Ne and Xe ions with energy of 2.3 MeV/amu

In the present work specimens of mono-crystalline silicon carbide (4H polytype) were irradiated to three successively increasing ion fluences ranging from 7.2 x 10(14) to 6.0 x 10(16) ions/cm(2) (corresponding to the peak displacement damage of 1, 4 and 13 dpa) with Ne and Xe ions respectively with the energy of 2.3 MeV/amu. The irradiated specimens were subsequently annealed at temperatures of 1173 and 1273 K. Defect structure was investigated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a cross-sectional specimen preparation technique. The typical microstructures of the annealed specimens irradiated with Ne or Xe ions to high fluences are characterized by small gas bubbles in high concentration in the peak damage region and black dots and dislocation loops (located in the basal plane) in a shallower and broader depth region. Larger dislocation loops were observed in the Xe-ion irradiated specimen than in the Ne-ion irradiated specimen at the same peak damage level. The enhanced formation of dislocation loops in the case of Xe-ion irradiation is understandable by assuming stronger inclination of heavier inert-gas atoms to occupy substitute site in the peak damage region.

Microstructural evolution in silicon implanted with chlorine ions

In the present work p-type Si specimens were implanted with Cl ions of 100 keV to successively increasing fluences of 1 x 10(15), 5 x 10(15), 1 x 10(16) and 5 x 10(16) ions cm(-2) and subsequently annealed at 1073 K for 30 min. The microstructure was investigated with the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in both the plane-view and the cross-sectional view. The implanted layer was amorphized after chlorine implantation even at the lowest ion fluence, while re-crystallization of the implanted layer occurs on subsequent annealing at 1073 K. In the annealed specimens implanted above the lowest fluence three layers along depth with different microstructures were found, which include a shallow polycrystalline porous layer, a deeper single-crystalline layer containing high density of gas bubbles, a well separated deeper layer composed of dislocation loops in low density. With increasing ion fluence the thickness of the porous polycrystalline layer increases. It is indicated that chlorine can suppress the epitaxial re-crystallization of implanted silicon, when the implant fluence of Cl ions exceeds a certain level.

Chromatid-type aberrations following irradiation in G0 lymphocytes with heavy ions

We describe a low level of chromatid-type aberrations which included the relatively rare isochromatid/chromatid triradial in peripheral blood lymphocytes that were irradiated, ostensibly in GO, with accelerated heavy C-12 ions. These were produced only at the energies of 69 MeV/n (34.6 keV/ mu m), almost absent at the energy of either 58.6 McV/n (46.07 keV/mu m) or 19.3 MeV/n (97 keV/mu m), nor were they found after low-LET X-rays. Mechanisms potentially responsible for their formation are discussed.

Production cross section of Th-236 in the interaction of U-238 with 60 MeV/u O-18 ions

The neutron-rich target-like isotope Th-236 has been produced in the U-238-2p multinucleon transfer reaction between a 60 MeV/u O-18 beam and natural U-238 targets. The activities of thorium were determined after radiochemical separation of Th from the mixture of uranium and reaction products. The Th-236 isotope was identified by the characteristic gamma-rays of 642.2, 687.6 and 229.6 keV. The production cross section of Th-236 was determined to be 250 +/- 50 mu b.

K-shell ionization cross section of aluminium induced by low-energy highly charged argon ions

Al K-shell X-ray yields are measured with highly charged Arq+ ions (q = 12-16) bombarding against aluminium. The energy range of the Ar ions is from 180 to 380 keV. K-shell ionization cross sections of aluminium are also obtained from the yields data. The experimental data is explained within the framework of 2p pi-2p sigma s rotational coupling. When Ar ions with 2p-shell vacancies are incident on aluminium, the vacancies begin to reduce. Meanwhile, collisions against Al atoms lead to the production of new 2p-shell vacancies of Ar ions. These Ar 2p-shell vacancies will transfer to the 1s orbit of an Al atom via 2p pi-2p sigma s rotational coupling leading to the emission of a K-shell X-ray of aluminiun. A model is constructed based on the base of the above physical scenario. The calculation results of the model are in agreement with the experimental results.

Color center formation in alpha-Al2O3 induced by high energy heavy ions

Single crystals of alpha-alumina were irradiated at room temperature with 1.157 (GeVFe)-Fe-56, 1.755 (GeVXe)-Xe-136 and 2.636 (GeVU)-U-238 ions to fluences range from 8.7 x 10(9) to 6 x 10(12) ions/cm(2). Virgin and irradiated samples were investigated by ultraviolet visible absorption measurements. The investigation reveals the presence of various color centers (F, F+, F-2(2+), F-2(+) and F-2 centers) appearing in the irradiated samples. It is found that the ratio of peak absorbance of F-2 to F centers increases with the increase of the atomic numbers of the incident ions from Fe, Xe to U ions, so do the absorbance ratio of F-2(2+) to F+ centers and of large defect cluster to F centers, indicating that larger defect clusters are preferred to be produced under heavier ion irradiation. Largest color center production cross-section was found for the U ion irradiation. The number density of single anion vacancy scales better with the energy deposition through processes of nuclear stopping, indicating that the nuclear energy loss processes determines the production of F-type defects in heavy ion irradiated alpha-alumina.

Josephson dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a double-well potential

The Josephson equations for a Bose-Einstein Condensate gas trapped in a double-well potential are derived with the two-mode approximation by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The dynamical characteristics of the equations are obtained by the numerical phase diagrams. The nonlinear self-trapping effect appeared in the phase diagrams are emphatically discussed, and the condition EcN > 4E(J) is presented.

Production cross-section of Th-236 in the interaction of U-238 with 60MeV/u O-18 Ions

The neutron-rich target-like isotope Th-236 was produced in U-238-2p multinucleon transfer reaction between a 60MeV/u O-18 beam and nature U-238 targets. The thorium activities were radiochemically separated from the mixture of uranium and reaction products. The isotope Th-236 was identified by 642.2keV, 687.6keV and 229.6keV characteristic gamma-rays. The production cross section of Th-236 has been determined to be 250 +/- 50 mu b.

Double electron processes in collisions of partially stripped ions Cq+ (q=1-4) with helium

The multi-electron processes are investigated for 17.9-120keV/u C1+, 30-323 keV/u C2+, 120-438 keV/u C3+, 287-480keV/u C4+ incident on a helium target. The cross-section ratios of double electron (DE) process to the total of the single electron (SE) and the double electron process (i.e. SE+DE), the direct double electron (DDI) to the direct single ionization (DSI) as well as the contributions of DDI to DE and of TI to DE are measured using coincidence techniques. The energy and charge state dependences of the measured cross-section ratios are studied and discussed.

Microscopic three-body forces and kaon condensation in cold neutrino-trapped matter

We investigate the composition and the equation of state of the kaon condensed phase in neutrino-free and neutrino-trapped star matter within the framework of the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach with three-body forces. We find that neutrino trapping shifts the onset density of kaon condensation to a larger baryon density, and reduces considerably the kaon abundance. As a consequence, when kaons are allowed, the equation of state of neutrino-trapped star matter becomes stiffer than the one of neutrino free matter. The effects of different three-body forces are compared and discussed. Neutrino trapping turns out to weaken the role played by the symmetry energy in determining the composition of stellar matter, and thus reduces the difference between the results obtained by using different three-body forces.

Precision measurement of excited spectra of oxygen ions

Spectra of the ionized oxygen atom were researched with the Pro-500i monochromator equipped with CCD. The beam foil method was used at energy of 2 MeV in a 2 x 1.7 Tandem accelerator. In this work, we report 201 spectral lines determined in the region 250-350 nm, and most spectral lines were attributed to n, l energy level transitions from O II to O IV atoms. Our experimental results are in good agreement with existing theoretical calculations. Many lines reported in this paper have not been measured in past experiments, and a majority of them are week transitional lines.

Survival and initial chromatid breakage in normal and tumour cells exposed in vitro to gamma rays and carbon ions at the HIRFL

Human hepatoma and normal liver cells were irradiated with C-12(6+) ion beams (linear energy transfer (LET) = 96 keV mu m(-1)) and gamma-rays at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL). The numbers and types of chromatid breaks were detected using the premature chromosome condensation technique. Irradiation with C-12(6+) ions produced a majority of isochromatid break types, while chromatid breaks were dominant for irradiation with gamma-rays. Experimental results showed that the initial level of chromatid breaks is clearly related to the absorbed dose from C-12(6+), ions and gamma-rays. The (12)C(6+)ions are relatively more effective at inducing initial chromatid breaks when compared with the gamma-rays. A relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of about 2.5 resulted for the induction of initial chromatid breaks by C-12(6+) ions relative to gamma-rays in both cell lines.